William R. Duncan's account details his decade of missionary and educational work among the Tsimshean people of Metlahkatlah. The book chronicles the establishment of the community, the challenges faced in integrating Western practices with Indigenous culture, and the author's personal experiences and observations during this period. Duncan's narrative aims to document the progress and transformation of the Tsimshean under his guidance.

This work is primarily a historical document detailing missionary efforts and ethnographic observations from the late 19th century. The book offers a firsthand perspective on the cultural encounters and the author's attempts to foster societal change among the Tsimshean. Its value lies in its primary source material for understanding missionary history and Indigenous-settler relations in British Columbia during that era. The narrative likely reflects the prevailing attitudes and methodologies of missionary work at the time.